HS SOFTBALL: Lee’s Olivas gaining confidence

A staple of Kylee Olivas’ equipment when she pitched was a mask, and for good reason.

Olivas was hit by a line drive during a select game before her freshman year at Lee, and she suffered some fractured bones in her face.

Olivas, now a senior, has worn a mask when she pitches ever since that summer day in Colorado. But in a game against Odessa High on April 4, Olivas decided to take it off.

It was a move that surprised her coaches, and in some ways herself. But it also showed how confident Olivas had become pitching for the Lady Rebels this season.

Olivas has had an almost love-hate relationship with pitching during her high school career at Lee, but as the Lady Rebels (18-10) take on El Paso Franklin (17-7) in a Class 5A Bi-district game at 7 p.m. today in Alpine, Olivas has become the ace of the staff and pitching as confident as ever.

“(The accident) is always in the back of my mind, but that’s probably why I do better now,” Olivas said. “If you don’t put the ball down the middle, it won’t come back up the middle. It keeps me more cautious.”

Entering the program as a freshman, Olivas was considered a prospect to become a staff ace.

But Emily Hardaway, who was a year older, was the program’s ace the last two years, while Olivas found her spot on the team playing in the outfield and was one of the team’s top hitters. Plus, Olivas admits that her desire to pitch wasn’t what it once was, and part of that was because of the injury.

This season, though, with Hardaway graduated and now at Hardin-Simmons University, the Rebels were looking for a pitcher. Lee coach Wes Overton and pitching coach Mandy Hacker — a former Lee ace herself — used a handful of pitchers early in the season, including Olivas.

But a few games into the district season, it became apparent that Olivas was going to get the call, and Olivas has answered it.

“We just talked to her about how to help the team, and that’s where she’s going to play,” Hacker said. “She’s gotten more consistent. Before she had the mindset of let me see how hard I can throw and beat them. Now, she’s calmed that down a little bit, and works on hitting her spots more to keep teams off-balance as much as possible.”

During the final month of the district season, Olivas was 4-2 and came up with some clutch performances along the way both in wins and losses, including an impressive outing in a 6-1 win against Odessa Permian to finish the regular season on April 17.

But it was how she performed the weekend of April 4 and 5 that might have defined her this season.

On April 4, Olivas pitched in a 6-5 loss to Odessa High, the same day she took off the mask. Olivas then turned around and pitched 12 innings the next day against Abilene High. One game was the completion of a suspended game in March, along the regularly scheduled game and Olivas pitched every inning, earning the win in both.

“I thought I was going to be way more tired than I was, but it wasn’t as bad as I thought,” Olivas said. “Somehow, I had a lot of energy that second day. I guess I was just fired up and mad about the Friday loss.”

Olivas said her confidence has never been better at pitching. During the early part of her career at Lee, Olivas said she wanted to try to strike out every batter. Now, she knows that placing the ball in the right spot can make a difference, and there is a growing confidence with the defense playing behind her.

And removing her mask that night in Odessa was the final move for a pitcher who finally feels comfortable and confident in the circle.

“Just knowing this year, that I’m the ace and I have all the girls behind me and they are always supporting me,” Olivas said. “I have way more confidence and it’s helped a lot.”